Harnessing SMS in Fundraising: Six Tips for Fundraising Success
Do you have a New Year’s Resolution to spend less time on your phone? Good luck with that. A recent study showed Americans check their phones as often as every five minutes. The good (or not-so-good) news is that your donors are likely just as addicted to their devices as you are. It’s no wonder that SMS, or text messaging, has emerged as a powerful tool for organizations to connect with and communicate with donors and supporters. In fact, mobile giving donations have increased by more than 200 percent (!!) over the past year.
What makes SMS messaging so powerful? The open rate for text messages is a whopping 98 percent, with a click-through rate of 19 to 26% (well above that of email), making it one of the more effective strategies nonprofits can use.
Whether you’re a small nonprofit or a large organization with a national or even global reach, SMS messaging can elevate your fundraising strategy, help build deeper donor relationships, and increase the ROI of your online — and offline — campaigns.
What Is SMS Messaging?
SMS messaging is a direct and personal communication channel that allows nonprofits to send concise messages straight to a donor’s mobile phone for fundraising, awareness campaigns, volunteer coordination, and more.
SMS messaging stands out as one of the most effective ways to reach your audience. More nonprofits are discovering the benefits of SMS messaging. One in four donors, for example, use mobile devices to discover nonprofits they didn’t know about, and a quarter of nonprofit donors completed their donations on mobile devices.
Even as people move residences and change jobs, they tend to hold on to their cell phone numbers, as reflected in the decreased use of landlines. This stickiness means organizations have a single consistent phone number to communicate with individual donors across platforms.
Types of SMS Messaging for Fundraising
Here are some of the ways to use SMS messaging in your fundraising:
- Donation appeals. Send direct calls to action. For example, “Maria, your help is needed! Donate $10 today to feed a local family. Text FOODHELP to 12345”
- Event invitations and reminders. Send registration links for upcoming events and last-minute reminders.
- Thank-you messages. Show your appreciation to donors with personalized thank-you texts.
- Campaign updates. Send your supporters updates on ongoing projects and campaigns (including direct mail). And remind them of upcoming deadlines. For example: “We’ve reached 50% of our goal to raise $25,000 by 12/31. Help us reach 100% today!”
- Volunteer recruitment and coordination. Recruit and engage volunteers and provide information or registration for upcoming events.
- Recurring giving options. Boost recurring donations by sending links to make a monthly gift.
- Lapsed donors. SMS messages can say what their last monthly gift was and ask them to come back or send a message that their credit card has expired.
SMS Models: Peer-to-Peer Blast and Blast or Broadcast
SMS messaging can be categorized into peer-to-peer (P2P) SMS and blast or broadcast SMS.
P2P involves sending personalized, one-on-one messages to individuals. It’s usually done by staff, volunteers, or automated systems that mimic personal interaction.
For example, a volunteer texts a message to a supporter, such as, “Hi Maria, this is James with ABC Nonprofit. Can we count on you to donate $20 today?” It’s a great way to engage with donors to request contributions or participation, register for events, or recruit.
It’s an easy way for nonprofits, especially those with smaller audiences, to start using SMS as part of their fundraising strategy. It’s also great for following up on event registrations, past donations, and volunteer engagement.
Blast or Broadcast SMS involves simultaneously sending a single message to a large group (think thousands or tens of thousands) of recipients. It’s ideal for general updates, calls to action, or time-sensitive announcements.
You’ve probably seen blast SMS messages such as, “URGENT: Help us reach our $50,000 goal by midnight! Text DONATE to 54321.”
How Does SMS Messaging Work?
SMS messaging for nonprofit fundraising typically follows a straightforward process:
1. Build your contact list
- Encourage supporters to opt in to receive text messages by promoting a keyword they can use to text to a designated number. For example, “Text JOIN to 54321.”
- Ensure you comply with regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to obtain explicit consent from recipients.
2. Craft your message
- Keep messages clear, concise, and action-oriented. However, the first message should be based on stewardship, not an ask.
- Personalize whenever possible to enhance engagement and use a photo or at least a logo. The message should come from a person — not an organization.
3. Send through an SMS platform:
- Use a reliable SMS marketing platform to send messages and track results.
- Many platforms offer features like scheduling, segmentation, and reporting.
4. Track performance:
- Monitor metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and donation conversions to assess your campaign’s success and make data-driven improvements.
Get started with SMS messaging as part of your overall fundraising strategy. Our experts can help you succeed.
Why Is SMS Messaging So Effective?
We’ve already mentioned the extremely high 98% open rate — compared with that of email which is around 20%. Since most are read within a few minutes, it’s likely your message is getting seen.
It takes just 90 seconds on average to respond to a text versus 90 minutes by email.
SMS creates a sense of immediacy and intimacy, plus graphics, photos, and videos can be incorporated into those messages. It’s also easy to use. People can respond quickly by clicking to donate or replying with a keyword to join a campaign.
Six Tips for SMS Fundraising Success
To maximize the impact of your fundraising efforts, consider these best practices when using SMS messaging:
- Start collecting. Even if you don’t have SMS messaging in place, you can start by proactively building a database of mobile numbers so it’s ready when you do.
- Obtain consent: Always get permission from your supporters before sending text messages. Make opting in or out easy.
- Keep messages short: Stick to 160 characters or less for maximum readability and engagement. Longer messages cost more, and donors are more likely to engage with a message that gets right to the point.
- Include a clear call to action: Make it easy for recipients to understand what action you want them to take, even if it isn’t a direct ask.
- Personalize it: Use the recipient’s name or reference their past involvement to make messages more meaningful.
- Time your messages strategically: Avoid sending texts too early or late in the day. Aim for optimal times like mid-morning or early afternoon. Learn what works for your audience.
- Monitor performance: Regularly review analytics to refine your strategy and improve results.
SMS messaging has transformed how nonprofits engage with their supporters, offering a fast, direct, and effective way to boost fundraising efforts. By leveraging the power of text messaging, your organization can strengthen donor relationships, increase participation, and achieve your fundraising goals.
Ready to take your nonprofit’s fundraising to the next level? Our Allegiance Group + Pursuant team can help your nonprofit integrate SMS messaging into your fundraising strategy. Contact us today.
This blog post is based on Text Your Way to Fundraising Success: Unlocking the Power of SMS for Nonprofit Fundraising, an episode of the Go Beyond Fundraising podcast.